Tag: overtreatment

• November 8, 2018
• General Prostate Information

Is Radical Prostatectomy on the Decline?

“Overtreatment is a cause of preventable harm and waste in healthcare.” This statement opens a published study[i] of physician perspectives on overtreatment. The article is based on a survey of 2,106 doctors. The study authors reported the MDs’ opinions as follows: 6% of overall medical care is unnecessary 0% of prescription medications are unnecessary 1% keep reading

• October 4, 2018
• General Prostate

PSA Guidelines Updated as Metastatic PCa Rates Rise

On May 8, 2018, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent medical panel composed of volunteer doctors, published updated PSA screening recommendations. The latest guidelines include For men ages 55-69 the decision to have periodic PSA testing to screen for prostate cancer (PCa) should be up to the individual after consulting with his doctor keep reading

• March 6, 2016
• Other Treatments

Concern Regarding Radiation Overuse

Here’s a little quiz: Which whole gland therapy for prostate cancer has the highest risk of recurrence? Radical prostatectomy Radiation therapy Cryotherapy of the whole gland HIFU of the whole gland If you answered radiation, you are correct. According to a recent article, the rate of prostate cancer coming back after conventional external beam radiation keep reading

• December 13, 2015
• General Prostate

The PSA Screening Debate

On November 18, 2015 the New York Times carried an article titled “Early Prostate Cancer Cases Fall Along With Screening.” Ever since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against broad PSA screening on the grounds that it leads to overdetection and overtreatment, two opposing positions have been created. One position favors the recommendation on keep reading

• March 5, 2015
• Other Treatments

Put an End to Overtreatment

“There is increased use of radiotherapy among patients with indolent prostate cancer with limited to no correlation with tumor biology.” This conclusion was reached by a research team out of UCLA after studying the treatment choices of 37,621 patients.[i] In fact, over half (57.9%) of the men were sent for radiation, while 19.1% had a keep reading